This tool is currently under development by AVS Developments on behalf of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC).

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If you have any queries or issues relating to the Marine Noise Registry, or require assistance beyond what is available in the Help Guide, please email mnr@jncc.gov.uk

The MNR was developed by JNCC on behalf of Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the UK devolved administrations to record human activities in UK seas that produce loud, low to medium frequency (10Hz – 10kHz) impulsive noise.

The MNR was established as a commitment made in the UK Marine Strategy and records data on human activities in UK seas such as seismic surveys, sub-bottom profiling, impact pile driving, explosive detonations, military sonar, acoustic deterrent devices, and multibeam echo-sounders. Recording data to the MNR is part of licence requirements for many activities, while other activities are not licensed and submit data voluntarily.

Users provide data to the MNR by uploading proposed applications detailing planned noise-producing activities followed by the submission of a close-out report providing an accurate account of the activities after completion. Data specifics include where and when an activity occurred, and, where available, noise source properties such as the frequency, maximum airgun volume, maximum hammer energy, TNT equivalent, sound pressure level and sound exposure level.

The newly upgraded MNR (2023) also introduces two new functionalities, 1) the Disturbance Tool, and 2) the Cooperation Tool. The former enables users to assess the potential noise disturbance footprint of their activity and other activities within Special Areas of Conservation for harbour porpoise. The latter enables users to communicate with each other and with respective regulators in order to resolve instances when noise limits could be exceeded.

Each year, JNCC publishes maps and tables depicting the spread of impulsive noise across UK seas relative to the year before. Please visit https://www.data.gov.uk to access this data. Additionally, data contained within the MNR is available upon request from JNCC via email to mnr@jncc.gov.uk. With the release of the upgraded MNR in 2023, users now also have the option to directly obtain custom data from the MNR in the form of shapefiles and tables, compiled and produced by JNCC.

The data collated in the MNR can be used for a variety of purposes such as regulatory and academic. For example, the MNR data is used, every six years, for the UK Marine Strategy Assessment of Good Environmental Status of the UK seas. Descriptor 11, Underwater Noise, and in particular the impulsive noise indicator tracks the spatio-temporal distribution of loud, low and mid frequency impulsive sound sources introduced into the marine environment through human activities. The UK Marine Strategy states that such impulsive sounds should be managed to the extent that they do not have adverse effects on marine ecosystems and animals at the population level.

For further information see https://jncc.gov.uk/our-work/marine-noise-registry.